How do I describe Blue Lock? Imagine Prince of Tennis except replace tennis with soccer and give everyone serial killer eyes.

This isn't bad for a sports manga with a sh0unen flair but I think it'd be easy to forget. The first volume didn't endear any character to me and I already can't remember anyone's names, which isn't a good sign. This first volume didn't have enough soccer in it.

Not bad but not great.

Blue Lock is about Japanese Men's football (soccer) making changes in how it thinks about football in order to come out on top in time for the world cup in 2022. This means doing away with Japan's traditional thinking about teamwork, which they have always done and instilling ego into their players so they will be aggressive like the other countries that play football.. Blue Lock is a training facility developed to make this happen by taking the top 300 talented strikers from high school so they can be ready for the world cup.

This book is interesting because it goes against teamwork while at the same time make the players develop their game sense so they can make teamwork happen between everyone.

Sports series have always been a fundamental staple of the Shōnen genre, and many have seen great success in Japan. The trouble is, they never quite take off to the same extent in the West. Despite a few notable exceptions, like the recently concluded Volleyball sensation Haikyu!!, sports series never seem to grab the readers attention over here as much as curse combat or superhero shenanigans do.

Indeed if you’ve read one soccer Shōnen, you’ve read them all, right? What’s up Captain Tsubasa fans! The cooperation and rivalry themes that appear so frequently in Shōnen titles are even more widespread within a sports series, so maybe people are just tired out of familiar trends. That goes double for readers without any prior experience with the specific sport to pull them in.



How about a new twist on those tricks then? If the old way of doing business relied on the teamwork and camaraderie so omnipresent in Shōnen, then perhaps a little more selfishness is in order. This is the unique answer that Blue Lock provides, and it’s made for all the more dynamic a read as a result. Read on to find out if Blue Lock Volume 1 is worth reading!

What Japanese soccer lacks is ego
Right from the get-go, Blue Lock gives you a sense that change is in the air. The opening pages call back to the Japanese national football team’s real-world defeat back in the 2018 World Cup. This catalyzes a new approach to how the country handles the game. The crusty older men in suits at the top of the football union are stuck in the past. Then a woman arrives with a fresh mindset and a new goal.

BLUE LOCK worth reading WORLDS BEST STRIKER
Anri Teieri’s dream is to see her country win the World Cup, and she proposes a bold new plan to achieve that target. The aforementioned Blue Lock, is a facility built to conduct the manic experiment of a spindly coach called Jinpachi Ego. Within the walls of Blue Lock, Teieri and Ego will throw 300 of Japan’s most promising youth soccer players together, clashing in a constant battery of tests and training. Whoever’s left standing above the other 299 will not only be the best striker on the planet. But, the key to Japan’s victory in the next World Cup.

Soccer Suicide Squad
‘Soccer Suicide Squad’ sure is an outlandish concept on the surface, but it’s the personal touch that gives it gravitas. We get a front-row seat into the inner workings of Blue Lock through the eyes of our protagonist, Yoichi Isagi. Isagi is a skilled forward and team player for his high school’s football team, but it’s one of those traits that result in his downfall. In the final moments of the big prefectural finals, Isagi forfeits his last-minute shot at the goalposts to pass to a teammate, who proceeds to miss the shot and cost them the game. This reliance on teamwork that is often represented as a strength in a sports series is Yoichi’s greatest weakness. This is the first of many surprising twists on familiar tropes that Blue Lock brings to the table.



To shoot without hesitation
The defining characteristic we gleam from Isagi is a sense of his drive. He is a kindred spirit to Teieri and Ego, even with the comparatively more minor goal of winning Nationals instead of the World Cup. While the rest of his team feels a similar sense of remorse in their defeat, he alone has to live with the cruel possibility that things might’ve gone better if he chose to take that shot when victory was in his grasp. Of course, there’s nothing he can do to change that. Soccer is a sport of 11 players, not 1. What good is all that drive alone?

The Blue Lock
is BLUE LOCK good - NATIONALS
Isagi receives the invitation to Blue Lock in the form of a letter listing a special training program. Along the way he bumps into Ryosuke Kira, superstar striker and former rival on the field. Kira was the MVP from the opposing team who ended Isagi’s run to Nationals. It seems like football fate that these two former rivals would be reunited within the walls of Blue Lock, their companionship solidifying with every shared victory. But this won’t be the case if Ego has anything to say about it.

Ego delivers an intentionally volatile induction speech to fire up his recruits. They’ve been schooled under the mindset that teamwork makes the dream work, but Ego’s dream calls for a little more glory hogging. This angers a lot of the candidates, Kira in particular. He recounts famous players in Japan’s history of the sport, team players who inspired him to take up the game himself. Like the old farts at the start, Kira has an antiquated approach, an outdated way of thinking about soccer that’s led to a stagnation in growth countrywide. Ego is here to drag Kira and that dated mentality kicking and screaming into modern times. One where a striker needs the drive to win above all else.



Blue Lock volume 1 spoilers
Blue Lock volume 1 spoilers



There’s a monster inside me
A team of underdogs is nothing new in the lineage of Shōnen sports titles. But in the cutthroat world of Blue Lock, you have to be a specific type of striker. With an eccentric personality for good measure, of course. Of the few supporting cast members we dive into in this first volume, Meguru Bachira is the one that provides the most initial intrigue. A wild card in a team full of wild cards, Bachira senses a similar drive in Isagi, attracting him from an early stage.



BLUE LOCK VOLUME 1 worth reading - MONSTER INSIDE ME
Bachira explains his drive to Isagi as a monster that compels him only when playing football. The devil on his jersey-clad shoulder. Monster seems to be a fitting description, considering the raw, animalistic art that Mangaka Nomura utilizes here. It’s especially noticeable in the wide, bulging eyes, hungry for victory. It’s a beautiful synchronization between art and story. A unique artstyle used to depict an unconventional approach to a sports Shōnen. Both feel fresh and invigorating, and we’ve only caught a glimpse of what these monsters can become!

Is Blue Lock volume 1 worth reading?
BLUE LOCK VOLUME 1 review - A HERO IS BORN
If you’re hungry for something new, then this is the Sports series for you! There was already a certain buzz behind this series’ after its popularity in Japan, and now I can see why.

Blue Lock has energy, passion and attitude fitting for the competitive subject matter and is electrifying for the reader. An ego-filled shot in the Shōnen sports subgenre arm, Blue Lock is already on track to be one of my standout debuts of the year with an extremely memorable and exciting first volume. Consider me signed up for season tickets because Blue Lock is worth reading!

Blue Lock is a manga I had heard a lot about and so when I got the change to read it, I completely devoured it. It's darker than any sports manga I've read and it is very intense. From the first page itself, you are completely drawn in by both the art and the dialogue. Blue Lock also expertly subverts the team-is-a-family trope, giving it a rather twisted spin and that is what made me enjoy it more.
I'm looking forward to reading more of this wonderful manga!

I initially thought this was an adult book but was pretty surprised to see it focused on high school students. This book is a bit on the bizarre side. It’s supposed to be realistic fiction, but the challenges the teens are supposed to participate in feel more like the Hunger Games than a challenge kids would normally participate in. It felt really strange that the parents would allow their kids to participate in the Blue Lock program. I was also confused with the book’s constant need to point out that one person was the only thing that would help Japan win the championships. This isn’t tennis or golf. Soccer is a team sport so that sort of thinking makes no sense.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me an E-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read a sports manga as intense and gripping as Blue Lock. Having it set outside of high school allowed for a more intriguing premise for readers, even if it was a bit terrifying. If there's one thing I am looking forward to in future volumes, it's character growth. Our main character, Isagi struggles to develop his stance on Blue Lock and seeing him adjust alongside 200+ players will definitely be a challenge. Overall, I would highly recommend Blue Lock to fans of sports animanga who are looking for something a little different.

Blue lock is one of the promising sports manga people should look out for. I know the sports genre is saturated these days but this one is a hidden gem that people should get into. It deserves more hype, and I know that this manga would get more fans when an anime adaptation is announced. Aside from the main character, there are also other characters to root for that makes the manga more fun. I love the other characters and there is definitely never a dull moment here. The first volume makes you interested in the story and be on the look out on what's to happen in the future. It is safe to say, that I'm heavily interested in the plot. It is a very engrossing read and I would surely continue reading this. It is one the mangas that I have read that I can't seem to put down and makes me want to finish it all in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me access of this comics in exchange of an honest review.

Well, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I anticipated! I like sports stories but usually these types of sports stories where it is entirely the main focus but the competition aspect was genius. It was so fun to watch, especially because the competition is to figure out the best striker so that Japan can finally get a winning team.

It was interesting to see our main character struggle with doing the right thing and being selfish— selfishness being what they’re looking for to win. Usually, I wouldn’t like that in a story but this worked!

My biggest issue with this volume was the sexualization of the only female character. The way the men reacted to her and the scenes that were zoomed in on her chest, were super uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Other than that though, I enjoyed this volume and would for sure consider reading the sequel!

3.5/5⭐️

Wow. What a story. Blue Lock is so incredibly intense, I've never read a sports manga quite like it. Although I don't love the Blue Lock program, I must say, it was very well thought out. I was interested in the rankings, and would love to see more of the top ten players at Blue Lock. The characters were also pretty interesting, I can't wait to see more of them. The art is also extremely impactful and does a great job at depicting the fear the young students have. The way the illustrator portrays Jinpachi Ego was done phenomenally. He's absolutely terrifying, even I was afraid! The authors did a spectacular job at pulling the readers into the story too. The only complaint I have is that I'm sad to see Ryosuke Kira go. He was such a kind and compassionate character that I wanted to see more of. Overall, I adore this novel and couldn't stop reading. Blue Lock would be great for soccer fans, or anyone looking for a story revolving around determination. I look upcoming to the next volumes!

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Having lost the 2018 World Cup, Japan seeks to create a team that actually stands a chance in the future. Most importantly, they want to create an ace striker who will carry them to victory. They hire Jinpachi Ego who comes up with the idea for Blue Lock--a tournament between 300 high school strikers. By the end of the tournament, the one in first place will be the ideal striker that Japan needs to win the World Cup.

This was definitely interesting! The story is basically like The Hunger Games, only with 300 participants playing soccer. Our main character, Isagi, is invited to participate in Blue Lock. He finds himself somewhat overwhelmed with all the other talented players that he must compete against. I'm hoping to see more of the character's personalities in future volumes as they seem rather unique! The competition itself is cool and I'm curious about how this will play out. However, I'm not a huge fan of the premise behind the competition: that teamwork is meaningless and one person is meant to be a hero. Maybe it's just because I played soccer for years, but I simply didn't like the concept. Sports manga and anime typically revolve around teamwork, and as fascinating as it is to see the exact opposite, I'm not sure I care for it very much. I'm hoping that the concept of teamwork is found to be better than being the best individually in future volumes, but there's no guarantee that will happen.

Overall, the plot is intense, the characters seem interesting, and the art is good! I'm looking forward to future volumes as I love a good competition! Fans of sports anime, shonen, or The Hunger Games-style plots would probably enjoy this!

Content: few remarks about a woman's chest, some language

I got this for my son who loves manga and graphic novels. Here is his review:
It was really interesting. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I just had to read it all in one sitting.
The story didn’t really end so I’m hoping there are or will be more books in this series. The artwork was good, the characters were great and the story was easy to follow. It had a little bit of swearing in it, but nothing horrible.
I would recommend this book to my friends and anyone who likes manga.

This manga is SO GOOD.
Sport mangas just hit different and the premise for this one is beyond unique!
300 high schoolers compete at a training camp called Blue Lock to be selected to represent Japan in football. They undergo mini games, challenges and competitions to climb ranks or be disqualified.
All ready I'm rooting for our MC to take out the number one slot but legit all of the characters in this manga are incredible, and hilarious!
I can't wait to see where this story goes from here.

It feels like just about every popular shonen series touches on the themes of teamwork and friendship at least once in their run. After all, what is more, heroic than working together with your peers and believing in your friends? In Blue Lock Volume 1, author Muneyuki Kaneshiro argues the complete opposite: teamwork is useless, and a true hero cares most about themselves (at least in the world of soccer).

Blue Lock Volume 1 is published in English by Kodansha Comics, with story by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, art by Yusuke Nomura, translation by Nate Derr, lettering by Chris Burgener, and editing by Thalia Sutton. Blue Lock tells the story of Yoichi Isagi, a second-year high schooler with a passion for soccer. After losing the 2018 World Cup, the Japanese Football Union decides they must completely rebuild Japan’s soccer program. To do this, they create the “Blue Lock Project.” It places Japan’s 300 best forwards in one facility, Isagi included and pits them against each other in order to create the best forward the nation has seen.

I never thought I would really be able to enjoy a sports manga before I read Blue Lock. Kaneshiro is able to weave together an absolutely gripping storyline, turning a simple game of soccer into a pulse-pounding face-off full of tension and drama. Isagi is a fascinating protagonist, and watching him deal with the insanity of the Blue Lock project is a joy.

Though we don’t get to know many characters other than Isagi in the first volume, those that we have met have a ton of potential. Jinpachi Ego, the completely insane coach, hired to lead the Blue Lock program, is incredibly intimidating and has a demanding presence. Gurimu Igarashi, the only player ranked lower than Isagi, looks to be a great sidekick/comic relief character. And Meguru Bachira, a player who gets the spotlight at the end of the volume, looks to be a great rival to Isagi.

Blue Lock Volume 1 would not have nearly as much impact as it does without the insanely good art of Yusuke Nomura. Nomura masterfully illustrates each character’s emotions onto the page. The intensity, drive and fear each player feels during a game of soccer or a training exercise is almost palpable.

A manga rarely grabs me in the way that Blue Lock Volume 1 did. After getting past the first few pages, the volume captures your attention and doesn’t let go until it comes to its conclusion. Even when the volume wraps up, it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, basically begging you to pick up volume two.

After reading Blue Lock Volume 1, it’s clear that the excitement I had heard online surrounding this series was more than just hype. The volume features an intensely engaging story, interesting characters, and outstanding art. Blue Lock is setting itself up to be one of the best sports manga ever written, and you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

This was really enjoyable! As a casual fan of both manga and soccer, Blue Lock is a fun combination of the two. It's action-packed, and the competition between 300 strikers is a premise that definitely sets the manga up for a lot of interesting storylines and action sequences.

I'll be curious to see if the overall point of the manga is indeed that one striker is the most important part of a soccer team, and that striker must be an egotist, or whether that premise is going to ultimately be challenged in favor of teamwork. I'd like to read more to find out! I'm also hopeful that as the manga continues, there will be space to further develop the personality of different characters; there are a lot of characters, but few of them have been very developed (which is understandable, given that many of them will be eliminated and may not play a significant role? But hopefully as it goes on the ones who are relevant will be more fleshed out!).

I help curate the library of an all-boys middle school, and with the exception of the comments about the sole female character's big boobs and a couple "damn"s, this would definitely be the kind of book that would be perfect for my students.

A million thank yous to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this volume!

The plot of Blue Lock is absolutely, incredibly, ridiculously absurd...... and that is precisely what sets it apart from every other sports series out there.

There is no goal of teamwork here, no meaningful friendships to be made, no philosophical lessons to be learned. Just 300 of Japan’s best high school soccer players rounded up and given one objective: defeat your fellow players battle royale-style to become the striker that will lead Japan to World Cup Victory no matter what it takes. It’s The Hunger Games out here. No, seriously, these boys are brutal. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Volume 1 is pretty fast-paced and surprisingly doesn’t cycle through the same motions that often plague the sports genre. The art is INCREDIBLE. I had to stop to admire the character designs multiple times. (Major Tokyo Ghoul vibes!)

If I had to criticize, I’d say that Blue Lock can get a little too far-fetched at times and your suspension of disbelief has to be HIGH for you to properly enjoy the story. Once you see past the insanity of it all though, it’s all fun and games (for the readers at least).

The characters—and there are many—are a little two-dimensional right now, but I do understand that the focus of this series is not actually on them much. This is an extremely plot-driven series and if I expect any sort of character development, it’s not the good kind. Good character development would actually be antithetical to the message of this series and that’s what makes Blue Lock so interesting.

All in all, I’ve never read anything like this before and I’m super excited to see whether Blue Lock follows typical sports genre tropes or transcends them to become a series unlike any other because I truly believe it has the potential to do the latter.

Also, this would make one sick anime.

I went into this one unsure on what to think. I didn't read the synopsis and I didn't read anyone else's reviews; but I am so glad that I did that. I honestly expected this manga to fall flat for me- given my absolute lack of interest in sport- but I'm somehow now well and truly invested. The plot was so much more than I thought it was going to be, and I'm highly anticipating what becomes of these young characters! Trust me, you do not have to be sport/soccer/football fan to enjoy this one!

When I saw Kodansha had a new sports manga coming out, I jumped on the opportunity to read and review it early!

First off, this manga is unlike any sports manga I've read to date. Yes, I'll be honest and say that that isn't A LOT, but with the sports manga I have read, they are not like this. And by not like this, I mean that those sports manga focus on teamwork and building a team together.

Blue Lock is different in that it focuses on the self.

Making one the strongest opponent even on their main team. As our main character, Isagi, learns a new kind of way of thinking in regards to soccer, we see him turn into a very different person. I wouldn't say it's bad mind you, but again, this is different than say manga like Haikyu!! where each person aims to improve, but they also seek to improve as a TEAM.

I admit I almost put this manga down because that it what personally I was hoping for. (I went in "blind" when starting this meaning I didn't read the blurb beforehand.) Jinpachi Ego is in my opinion VERY egoistic himself and really disliked what he is teaching these young adults concerning sports, but man.

This story is GOOD!

It does have some language, but this is the kind of sports manga I love in that we get this intensity and a main character who doesn't want to settle. (He has a great way of surprising the reader with his choices!) The first chapter really leads you have to compassion for Isagi and know my heart broke for him during one scene.

Then it goes into the heart of this story and I'm glued to these pages with wide open eyes…

I really hope this gets printed because I love how it has a Hunger Games-like settings, but with soccer being the focus! We have some really interesting side characters and would be very curious to see where things go next because it seems like it's going to keep getting more intense!

Recommended to those who like The Hunger Games, soccer, and go getter characters!

*(I received an e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

This sports manga follows a boy, Isagi, who is chosen as one of the 300 best high school strikers in Japan and taken to the Blue Lock facility— a wild sports experiment that takes training to a whole new level in order to find a single striker who can bring Japan the world cup.

This manga, despite not being my cup of tea, subverts the teamwork and friendship trope apparent in sports manga in a very interesting way. If someone was looking for that kind of story, they would like Blue Lock very much. The artstyle is sharp and creepy at times too, which lends itself well to the psychological aspect of this story.

One thing keeping my rating at three stars is that I didn't enjoy how much Anri's body was objectified in this story. In many panels, the way the comic signaled that she was the one speaking was by a close-up of her breasts, and many thought bubbles are dedicated to others sexualizing her in their heads. As the book's only female character, I would have liked to see her passion and ingenuity be more important than her body.

Otherwise, this was just not a manga that I personally enjoyed. As I mentioned earlier, someone looking for a sports story that subverts tropes and has a lot of thriller elements would like this a lot. I won't be continuing, but I appreciate being provided an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was quite an intense manga. The drawings were very well done and, especially in action/sport scenes. It felt like you were there with the characters. Some of the characters are really creepy I think, especially Jinpachi Ego. The story on the other hand is interesting, but it’s nothing new for the moment. It is kind of like a hunger games with 300 students and only one will remain. I do hope Isagi and the others will prove Jinpachi wrong because otherwise, I don’t really like the message behind the success of footballers.
I think I will continue this series as it sounds promising and I want to see how the story develops. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, though I personally liked it. If you like action, football and hunger games, this manga is for you.
3.5/5

This book was provided by Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

A great start, can't wait to continue more.
So I'll firstly start by saying that I'm not the biggest fan of football (but I do love a good World Cup Match) but I am a sucker for a shonen sports manga. This first volume really delivers on the potential of a good series, a "school" setting for a sports competition, a bunch on interesting guys who will learn to become great football players, and some fantastic art that I kept me reading. So far the standout characters have been Gurimu, Yosuke and Rensuke but the rest of the cast are likeable.
The only issue I have is, it does feel like a very standard first volume which sadly made me drop a star, however this does have the potential to become a great series, and I look forward to reading more.